'It's been a great experience,' Conservative candidate and former Winnipeg Jet Thomas Steen said of his unsuccessful run at the Elmwood-Transcona seat.(CBC)The Conservatives have filed a complaint with Elections Canada over a what they're calling "voter irregularities" in Winnipeg's Elmwood-Transcona riding.
Don Plett, party president for Manitoba, said a ballot box was taken out of a mobile polling station and Tory scrutineers weren't informed. It was missing for 23 minutes, he said.
There was also an unusually high number of spoiled ballots, Plett said, and other problems in the riding, where the NDP's Jim Maloway prevailed over the Tories' Thomas Steen.
"There were people literally wearing t-shirts with NDP logos on them that were coming in and swearing in more than one person, which is contrary to the Elections Canada Act," he said.
"The number of spoiled ballots that there were, a number of ballots went missing, and so there is a range of things. I described it as a case of voter fraud," he said. Plett filed the complaint with Elections Canada early Tuesday afternoon, when the discrepancies were brought to his attention, he said.Tough battle: NDP

Elmwood-Transcona has been an NDP stronghold for 29 years under former MP Bill Blaikie, who retired from politics.
Maloway, who has represented Elmwood in the provincial legislature for more than 20 years, had a 1,700-vote margin over his Tory rival, a local hockey legend the NHL's now-defunct Winnipeg Jets.
"The Conservatives were very strong out there, as they were in the whole city, and we knew that and we had to battle that. It was a very big factor," said Maloway, 55.
Although he won the seat, Maloway said he's not taking anything for granted, especially given the tenuous nature of a minority government.
"Clearly there could be another election very soon, in the next few months, so I have to get working starting tomorrow to, you know, improve our position here in the riding to make sure that we win it by even a bigger margin next time," he said.'Sort of the playoffs': Steen

Steen's thoughts on his loss reflected his sports background: "It's been 38 days of campaigning, and today is sort of the playoffs. So we came up short.
"I knew what area I went into: it's been NDP for years, and I knew it would be tough," he added.
"They've been NDP for many years, so I think they're used to that. But I think we could have made a difference in the area."
Steen, who left his job as a scout for the Phoenix Coyotes to try to stick-handle his way into the House of Commons, said he found the campaign "overwhelming" but "a great experience," adding that he did not yet know if he'd consider running again.
Both the Conservatives and the NDP gained a seat in Manitoba in Tuesday's election, leaving the Tories with nine, the New Democrats with four and the Liberals with one.
Nationally, the NDP won 37 seats, a gain of seven seats since the last election. The Conservatives were elected in 143 ridings, up from 127 in 2006.

I'm really quite surprised to be honest. I figured it would be a much closer race between Simard and Glover with Simard ultimately prevailing. I voted for Glover myself but I didn't really expect her to win.

Part of the reason the Liberal vote didn't show up is because of botched information about where polling stations were. Do I have legitimate grounds for a complaint? I had to go to 4 different polling stations. It took an hour and a half... before I could finally vote. I wasn't the only one either. Some people I know just gave up because of all the hassle, and didn't vote. (This all took place in my area which is the heart of Raymond Simard country)

^Okay but why wouldn't that apply to people voting for any party ? Unless they know who you're going to vote for they can't send you on a wild goose chase as part of some diabolical master plan.

aww let me gues the cards yu got had one station with a number on it and for what ever reson they didn't have the poll number at ur marked station? if so theres something seriously wrong and a complaint should be filled........

Yup, you were right about St.B (I do pat myself on the back, though, for being dead-on with the NDP, Bloc, Green and Independents ).

I had underestimated the amount of narrow-minded CJOB listeners in St.B. There was also a surge of Con support, nationally, on the 13th and 14th which didn't show up in the polls. I hadn't put much stock into it, but I'm now thinking that indeed people were influenced at thanksgiving dinners by family members.

The only thing I'm taking comfort in with these results is that the Harper Cons were only capable of a minority - even when running against the weakest Liberal party in Liberal party history.

It comes up ad nauseum in the Canada section, and the backhanded affair continues here:

"I had underestimated the amount of narrow-minded CJOB listeners in St.B." - DowntownWpg

Even if the above comment is tongue-in-cheek, it is degrading the way some - and I'd venture to say increasingly many - leftist forumers treat the right. Whatever happened to being as gracious in defeat as one is in victory. The Liberals have governed for the vast majority of Canada's history. When it's clear that the Conservatives were elected, and elected by a significant margin, why stoop to insult 40% of the country, or nearly 50% of a constituency. Is it really that difficult to disagree with someone in viewpoint without having to retort to adolescent backhanded swipes? Watching the attack ads from all parties on TV is bad enough. Having portions of the populace mimic it is even worse.

It comes up ad nauseum in the Canada section, and the backhanded affair continues here:

"I had underestimated the amount of narrow-minded CJOB listeners in St.B." - DowntownWpg

Even if the above comment is tongue-in-cheek, it is degrading the way some - and I'd venture to say increasingly many - leftist forumers treat the right. Whatever happened to being as gracious in defeat as one is in victory. The Liberals have governed for the vast majority of Canada's history. When it's clear that the Conservatives were elected, and elected by a significant margin, why stoop to insult 40% of the country, or nearly 50% of a constituency. Is it really that difficult to disagree with someone in viewpoint without having to retort to adolescent backhanded swipes? Watching the attack ads from all parties on TV is bad enough. Having portions of the populace mimic it is even worse.

... I'll admit - a bit tongue-in-cheek, I'm also partisan (an Anybody But Conservative strategic voter). However, if you caught any of the CJOB airwaves in the weeks leading up to the vote, it was essentially like a non-stop advertisement for Shelley Glover courtesy of Adler, Courier, etc.

"Narrow-minded" in that Shelley was essentially a single-issue candidate ("tough on crime!").

I also find the whole "tough on crime" position to be narrow-minded. I'm still waiting for some academic or peer-reviewed journal to indicate that tougher sentences reduces crime. In actuality, we find correlations of crime in areas where there is also high levels of poverty, unemployment, and school drop-outs. I'm of the opinion that to "fix crime" we must address these vital problems in our society. So, I'm of the opinion that "tough on crime" is a narrow-minded two-second soundbite, appealing to those who don't understand the effort and time it will take to fundamentally improve the conditions that lead to crime.

Do you think that the street-gang kids on streets like Selkirk and Sargent will think twice because of some tougher sentence? Or, if we raise the level of their quality of life, education, and offer them all the same potential for a bright future that kids in suburban areas enjoy... would that not be the better solution? Sure, it'll take a long time, and "tough on crime" appeals to simpletons who want what they want "right now!" The problem with this more altruistic idea, is how do you boil it down to a two-second soundbite that conveys the concept?

To respond for the rest of your comments. I feel that in partisan politics, there is no time to sit back and gracious. The next campaign has already begun. Like it or not, that's the reality. As for the percentages you have indicated, I would point out that I'm only insulting 37% of the voters (or, 20% of eligible voters).